September 16, 2015, www.regenerationinternational.org | “Ireland leads the way in developing a national strategy that allows for sustainable agricultural intensification while, at the same time, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, according to Aidan O’Driscoll, Secretary General of the Department of Agriculture. ‘Last October saw the EU make a landmark decision in adopting many of these principles,’ he said.”

September 10, 2015, earthjustice.org | “Today, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected U.S. EPA’s approval of the neonicotinoid insecticide “sulfoxaflor.” The Court concluded that EPA violated federal law when it approved sulfoxaflor without reliable studies regarding the impact that the insecticide would have on honeybee colonies. The Court vacated EPA’s approval, meaning that sulfoxaflor may not be used in the U.S. unless, and until, EPA obtains the necessary information regarding impacts to honeybees and re-approves the insecticide in accordance with law.”

VICTORY! We just received great news that a federal court has thrown out EPA’s approval of a controversial pesticide that is killing bees! This is a huge sigh of relief to beekeepers across the U.S. whose livelihoods depend on healthy bee colonies. http://ejus.tc/1J351uw

The pesticide, sulfoxaflor, has been linked to widespread bee colony collapse, which is why the beekeeping industry teamed up with Earthjustice to challenge EPA’s approval of the pesticide. Since 1 in 3 bites of food depends on pollinators such as honeybees, this court victory also greatly benefits our food system.

SHARE or LIKE to spread this major news and TELL US >> Do you agree with the court’s decision to throw out the approval of sulfoxaflor?

September 9, 2015, www.causes.com | “President Barack Obama, 93% of voters want genetically engineered food labeled. When you were running for president in 2007, you promised us you’d do that. It’s right here in this video: http://youtu.be/zqaaB6NE1TI. You also promised: ‘We’ll tell ConAgra that it’s not the Department of Agribusiness. It’s the Department of Agriculture. We’re going to put the people’s interests ahead of the special interests.'”

September 4, 2015, www.biologicaldiversity.org | “California’s Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it will list glyphosate — a widely used herbicide dangerous to people and linked to the dramatic decline of monarch butterflies — as a chemical known to cause cancer. Earlier this year the World Health Organization found that glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, was a probable human carcinogen based on extensive research.”

August 31, 2015, www.offgridquest.com | “Hungary has taken a bold stand against biotech giant Monsanto and genetic modification by destroying 1000’s of acres of corn found to have been grown with genetically modified seeds, according to Hungary deputy state secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development Lajos Bognar. Unlike many European Union countries, Hungary is a nation where genetically modified (GM) seeds are banned. In a similar stance against GM ingredients, Peru has also passed a 10 year ban on GM foods.”

August 24, 2015, www.reuters.com | “Germany has initiated a move to stop the growing of genetically modified crops under new European Union rules, documents seen by Reuters showed on Monday. German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt has informed German state governments of his intention to tell the EU that Germany will make use of new ‘opt-out’ rules to stop GMO crop cultivation even if varieties have been approved by the EU, a letter from the agriculture ministry seen by Reuters shows.”

September 17, 2015, sustainablepulse.com | “In a joint statement Thursday by the Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Ségolène Royal, and the Minister of Agriculture, Stéphane Le Foll, it was announced that France has decided to ask the European Commission for a strong opt-out from growing genetically modified (GM) crops.

June 18, 2015, www.gmwatch.org | “German beekeepers have called for a nationwide ban on cultivating GM plants, reports the German NGO keine-gentechnik.de. The call by the German Beekeepers Association (DIB), which represents almost 100,000 beekeepers, comes after Europe adopted controversial legislation enabling member states to opt-out of the cultivation of GMOs that have been approved at the EU level.”

Kevin Phillips shared a photo to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline. GMO Free USA 100,000 German Beekeepers Call for GMO Crop Cultivation Ban: The German Beekeepers Association (DIB), which represents almost 100,000 beekeepers, is urging Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt to implement a Germany-wide ban on cultivation. Bees fly up to eight kilometres in search of food, the DIB said, so a juxtaposition of GM crop cultivation zones and GMO-free zones within Germany would be “environmentally and agriculturally unacceptable”. “Bees know no borders,” the DIB added. There is no such thing as co-existence. GMO crops will inevitably contaminate non-GMO and organic crops. BAN GMOs

June 16, 2015, sustainablepulse.com | “On the subject of GMOs Pope Francis states; ‘It is difficult to give an overall judgment on the development of genetically modified organisms (GMO), plant or animal, for medical purposes or in agriculture, since they can be very different and require different considerations. Although we do not have definitive evidence about the damage that transgenic cereals could cause to humans, and in some regions their use has produced economic growth that has helped solve some problems, there are significant problems that should not be minimized.”